A Simple Question
by patricia51
Summary: Set at the beginning of "Omega Girls". What if a certain question asked during the show by one person came from a different person? Femslash. Jo/Zoe. Sequel to "We Shouldn't" and "Compensations".


A Simple Question by patricia51

(Set at the beginning of "Omega Girls". What if a certain question asked during the show by one person came from a different person? Femslash. Jo/Zoe. Because of the time-line change this would be considered a sequel only to "We Shouldn't" and perhaps "Compensations".)

"Okay, Jo, what's wrong?"

The dark-haired girl driving the SUV looked over at the blonde teenager riding shotgun.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that ever since you picked me up at the airport, which I genuinely appreciate by the way and not just for the ride but for the chance to see you, you have been acting strange."

"No I haven't."

"Jo, please. You have chatted about the weather, the scenery, the traffic, every little inconsequential thing you could come up with. None of that is what you normally talk about. So what gives?"

Jo Lupo gathered her thoughts. This damn different timeline and the changes it had wrought. Some good, some bad but all very confusing. The difference in her job she could handle. Being Head of Security for Global Dynamics wasn't the same as being a genuine law-enforcement officer but it did have its perks and it could get pretty challenging as well. And things hadn't really changed between her and the others who had been caught in the shift.

She supposed the whole thing could boil down to two people. Zane Donovan and Zoe Carter.

Zane in one way was the easier of the pair. Before she had been caught in the timeline shift he had proposed after a long and sometimes frustrating but always intriguing relationship. Her biggest regret was not accepting his proposal even though he wouldn't remember making it. Not remember? He had actually laughed in her face over the very idea.

Still, it had seemed that there were hints that they were possibly rebuilding some of what they had once had together. If that was the right wording. This Zane wasn't rebuilding anything; she was. But the wild card in the deck that affected everything else, including and right now especially Zane, was sitting next to her; a worried look having replaced the quizzical one that had been on her face, that lovely sexy face Jo dreamed about sometimes, moments before.

Zoe Carter had been just a friend, the daughter of her boss Sheriff Jack Carter, someone she had watched grow from a troublemaking teen to a mature, although still teenaged, woman. Jo had rejoiced in the knowledge that she had something to do with that change. It had all been warm but friendly feelings until the night before Zoe had left for Harvard.

Okay, as it turned out Zoe had been planning to make her move for months prior to that night. And make it she had. Jo had been swept away when the teenager had shown up at her house wearing a cut-off top and jeans so tight that it hadn't been a wonder that the snap was undone. Jo had struggled tor resist but her attraction, hidden even to herself if not to Zoe, had reared up and the pair had found their way to Jo's bed and made love through the night.

Since then there had been exactly four more times she and the girl beside here had been together. One existed only in the previous timeline and one she wasn't sure of. But she would never forget that first night no matter what changed. And shortly after she realized in this here and now Zane had never proposed and never loved her she had arrived home to find Zoe waiting for her wearing nothing more than one of Jo's shirts.

In what she thought of as "before" as she and Zane grew closer and Zoe and Lucas continued to date the two girls had an understanding. They were strongly attracted to each other and treasured the time they spent but they both knew the day would come when each would most likely settle down with the guy in her life. But until then...

That was "then" and this was "now". And now with Zoe long broken up with Lucas and become interested in Zane AND with that interest being returned Jo found herself caught in the middle of the damndest triangle she could have ever imagined. Even Jack hadn't had such a time with him and Allison finally coming together only to discover that in THIS timeline he was still attached at the hip to Tess.

All this flashed through the dark-haired woman's mind in an instant. It was however long enough for the very perceptive Zoe to comment.

"Okay, part of that I got but not all of it. Please explain."

"What?"

"You're thinking." Seeing that Jo still looked baffled Zoe explained. "I could see the thoughts running through your mind. Sometimes I could tell what was running through your mind." A naughty smile crossed the blonde teen's face and her right hand dropped down to toy with the snap to her jeans. "For instance I knew where you were thinking about our first time together." The smile disappeared. "But as nice as that was to recall that's not what's troubling you. Tell me."

Jo took a deep breath. "I was talking to Zane earlier."

A smile flickered across Zoe's face before fading as the teen caught the seriousness of Jo's tone of voice. "And?"

"I was telling him that I was going to the airport to pick you up. That's when he asked me the question."

"What question?"

Before she answered Jo pulled off the road onto a little "Scenic Lookout" niche that overlooked the sprawling forest around them. Since they had seen almost no traffic for the last thirty minutes it was not surprising the place was empty. She shifted the vehicle into park and turned to fully face Zoe.

"Uh-oh," muttered the blonde teen.

"Uh-huh," agreed Jo. "Pretty simple question too. I was talking about how nice it would be to see you and he looked at me and asked 'How long have you been sleeping with her?'."

"Oh my GOD!" Surprise and shock chased each other over Zoe's face. "What did you say? How did he know?"

"I couldn't say anything at all. Just stood there with my mouth open. As for how he knows, he looked at me with that cocky little grin he puts on and told me he could see how my face lights up whenever I talk about you or hear your name mentioned."

"So what are we going to do?" Before Jo could answer Zoe went on. "So you think about me when someone mentions my name?"

"Yes and I don't know. Or rather to answer in the right order I don't know and yes," the flustered woman replied.

Zoe shrugged. "I guess we'll talk to Zane when that time comes. In the meantime," the blonde grinned, "I guess it is pretty nice to know that the woman I think about at night thinks about me too."

"Well, Duh!." Zoe brushed her fingers across Jo's face. Like a drowning person tossed a life preserver Jo captured the wandering fingers in her own hand and kissed them. The smile that crept over her face lit up the interior of the SUV. She leaned over and kissed Zoe.

A shapely arm wrapped itself around the older girl's back and soft lips parted immediately. Zoe's mouth tasted as inviting and fresh as it had the very first time Jo had kissed her. The arm around her tightened and Jo found herself sprawling across both seats and the console between them as Zoe reeled her in.

The GD security chief reacted immediately. Her left hand reached down to pull the lever that lowered the seatback to its near horizontal position. At the same time her right hand slid up Zoe's tummy and over her breast, confirming her initial suspicion the blonde had once more dispensed with a bra. The nipple under the cotton top was already hard and Jo's fingers teased it unmercifully.

Zoe's own fingers were flying as well. Buttons gave way on Jo's blouse. There was a tug and it pulled free from her slacks, revealing the ex-Ranger no longer settled for plain white cotton undies. Zoe broke their kiss and an instant later her warm, wet mouth engulfed the black lace that barely concealed the dark tipped breast under it.

Nor did Zoe stop there. Her hands slid down, unfastened Jo's slacks and pushed, showing that skimpy black lace extended to the olive skinned woman's choice in panties as well. The blonde heaved up and, assisted by Jo's frantic efforts, her own jeans went to her knees.

In the position they were in neither of the two girls could completely get their pants off. But it was enough. A twist and Zoe jammed a firm thigh between Jo's legs and ground it against the soaking wet panties that proved no hinderance to her efforts to pleasure her friend. Indeed the rasp of the black lace between her legs and over her breast only increased her excitement. She arched, her left hand finding the college's girl's right breast. The other danced down the taut smooth belly to push aside Zoe's thong. For one instant Jo's concentration wavered as she though of the similar thong she had all but torn from Zoe the first night they spent together, a thong she still had. Then Zoe bit down on her nipple and Jo lost all control.

Wildly she rode the smooth, slick thigh between her legs. She gasped for air almost futilely as she rolled and pinched the pink nipple those fingers had hold of. Two fingers of her other hand disappeared inside Zoe, finding no resistance from the college girl's wetness, plunging deeply inside her. And when Jo's thumb found Zoe's unhooded and diamond hard nubbin and pressed it the teenager went as crazed as the girl on top of her.

Both explosions seemed to go forever but finally Jo collapsed on top of Zoe, the SUV rocking under them as though a gale force wind had been shaking it. After long moments the pair finally untangled, Jo rolling in a movement that was anything but graceful back into the driver's seat. Then the two girls caught their breath.

"Oh my God," murmured Zoe.

"I know." The roar of a passing but fortunately out of sight semi made them realize the condition of their clothing. They struggled back to some semblance of normality before looking at each other again.

"What are we going to do Jo?"

"What do you want Zoe?" Jo asked back in trepidation.

"To repeat this as often as we possibly can although more comfortable circumstances would be nice."

"You mean that?"

"Of course I do. What do you want Jo Lupo?"

"You, Zoe Carter. I want you. I love you."

"Well I guess we'll just have to break the news to Zane as gently as we can that both of us are off the market."

"I think he suspects that already. It was something in his eyes when he asked me that simple question but I didn't want to say anything until I knew how you felt."

In response Zoe leaned over and kissed Jo again. This time the kiss was soft but promised so much more than any wild wanton passion. The dark-haired girl smiled and started the SUV.

The decision to wait for a more comfortable location proved fortuitous for the two happy girls arrived just in time to stop Beverly after she had knocked everyone in Eureka unconscious. They were able to work things out with Zane, if not to everyone's complete satisfaction to at least acceptance.

The day came Jo drove Zoe back to the airport after a night that the pair had spent in MUCH more comfortable surroundings than the front seat of an SUV.

"Take care. I'm going to miss you so much," Jo whispered in the blonde's ear as they hugged, the last boarding call for Zoe's flight still echoing in the waiting area.

"Me too," sighed the returning college-bound girl. A look Jo couldn't quite read crept into Zoe's eyes. "Think about coming to see me next time instead of the other way around. It could be very special."

Jo lifted an eyebrow. "Even more special than the way we've spent the last few days?"

"Uh-huh."

"Give me a hint?"

"You might want to look up Massachusetts marriage laws," Zoe said cryptically. She kissed Jo one more time and boarded the plane.

Jo watched until the plane was in the air and out of sight. She returned to the short-term parking lot. Unlocking the vehicle she plopped into the driver's seat and started the SUV. She started to pull the seatbelt across her body and suddenly froze as the implications of Zoe's last remark sank in.

"Oh my GOD! She just proposed!"

(The End)

(Special thanks to SilverTurtle who when I broached the idea of this story told me she'd love to see me write it and she thought it would be great. I hope this lives up to her expectations.)


End file.
